B.B. King vows to keep playing until 'called from above'

American music legend B.B. King, still on tour at the age of 84, vowed in an interview published Thursday that he would never retire so long as he was still able to play the blues.

"Retire? I'll only do that when I'm called from above," the veteran guitarist and singer-songwriter told El Pais newspaper as he began a tour in Spain after playing at the Mawazine music festival in Morocco.

"As long as people say I play the blues well, I'll carry on playing," he said, pointing out that he no longer played "300 concerts a year" as he once did.

The 13-time Grammy Award winner is renowned for his blues tones on his guitar famously known as "Lucille," influencing thousands of musicians from Eric Clapton and George Harrison to U2.

He said part of the secret of his longevity was that he was a happy person, unlike other blues musicians who "never smile".

Twice married, he told El Pais when asked if it was true that he had 15 children: "No, it's the women who say I have that many."